Entertainment

Americans' Online Holiday Shopping Spend Already at $22B

Recession? What recession? If Americans' online shopping behaviors are any kind of barometer, the outlook is getting rosier all the time.

Right now, U.S. shoppers have already spent $21.95 billion shopping online during the first 40 days of the November/December holiday season, according to data from comScore. That figure represents a 12% increase from the amount spent during the same time period in 2009.

In a poll conducted at the end of November, around 60% of Mashable readers said they'd be doing all or most of their holiday shopping online rather than in brick-and-mortar stores.

Two of the biggest shopping days for online retailers, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, also saw significant year-over-year increases.

For Black Friday, traditionally the day when physical stores do a large portion of their holiday business, Internet retailers saw a 15.9% YOY sales growth.

However, we're wondering whether the real reason for these huge jumps in online spending isn't just due to the gradual easing of our national economic strain. Are we actually spending more online because we're spending less in stores?

One survey from Compete found that online spend might be exceeding in-store spend for the first time ever during the 2010 holiday season. For the first week of November, consumers reported spending an average of $10 more online than in physical stores.

The biggest likely winners this year, though, are the big-box retailers who maintain robust physical and online presences and give shoppers ample reason to choose both or either outlet. Sites such as Walmart.com, Target.com and BestBuy.com are still competing well against eBay and Amazon for shoppers' traffic and dollars.

Are you more likely to spend money online or in a physical store this year during your holiday shopping? Let us know, and tell us why, in the comments.

Mashable
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